A Taiwanese delegation to the US National Prayer Breakfast, an annual interfaith event held to champion faith, freedom, democracy and human rights, will be led by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman John Chiang (蔣孝嚴), according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Chiang, along with Mainland Affairs Council Minister Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) and World Vision Taiwan president Tu Ming-han (杜明翰) will attend the 60th annual breakfast on Feb. 2 with dignitaries from around the world.
The group will depart on Jan. 30 and attend a number of related events between Jan. 31 and Feb. 3, in addition to the breakfast. The group is also scheduled to meet with US officials, congressional leaders and academics during the Washington visit.
Taiwan has been invited to the event, which for the past 20 years has always featured a speech by the US president and a guest speaker, according to the ministry.
The origins of the meeting can be traced back to a gathering of US politicians that prayed for victory in World War II. The tradition was continued after the war and was expanded in 1953 by former US president Dwight Eisenhower.
The breakfast that year became the inaugural Presidential Prayer Breakfast. In 1970, the event took on the name by which it is now known.
“These breakfasts provide opportunities for the leadership in our states to seek reconciliation and unity of spirit through the power of God, regardless of differences in politics or religious beliefs,” the event’s Web site said.
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